


Collarbones

by kriswritesthings



Category: Persona 5
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, Makoto/Haru if you squint - Freeform, Never Have I Ever, Ryuji can say fuck, Ryuji’s getting soft, Sleeping Together, akira really likes collarbones, akira’s a sap, getting together fic, hence the teen and up audience, i also really like collarbones so i had to write a fic about it, let these boys be happy, looking at the stars, lowkey top!ryuji, sleep over, there’s cursing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-18
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-03-06 09:09:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 9,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13408005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kriswritesthings/pseuds/kriswritesthings
Summary: Akira likes collarbones. A lot.-or-Ryuji and Akira have a sleepover for the first time.[editing minor mistakes at the moment]





	1. Chapter 1

Akira always knew he had a thing for collarbones, and he would often find himself admiring the hollow above the delicate bones of anyone he bothered to give that extra glance to was his favorite thing to do. When he became friends with Ryuji Sakamoto though, he found that Reyuji’s were his favorite. They were perfect- The muscle on his neck tightened whenever he turned his head to the side, deepening the hollow above the prominent bone whenever he laughed, and whenever he wore the one tank top he had them display and ready to win first place. It was admittedly the first thing Akira ever really noted when he first saw the faux-blonde boy on that one rainy morning.

  
He found himself falling more and more in love with his best friend as the days went on, their friends completely oblivious to the fond glances Akira would always give the faux-blonde. They became more common, though, as the two’s friendship grew stronger, and Akira’s attraction grew more, so he guessed that everyone was so used to it that they assumed it was normal.

The two were on summer break when Ryuji proposed the idea of a sleepover while they were jogging around the park; They decided to take a break from training and strolled along the dusty paths, allowing the hanging green branches of the trees provide their shade. Ryuji casually brought up the topic of childhood memories with friends when the conversation led to it, carefully avoiding any mention of family, and recalled sleepovers at his childhood friends’ houses when things got rough at home. He began to ramble about how much fun he had, and how he missed the days where he could call up a friend and bam, a whole sleepover would be arranged for the next day.

“I’ve never been to a sleepover before,” Akira muttered, face growing pink at the wide eyed and opened mouth stare Ryuji gave him. It wasn’t really Akira’s choice to be rarely let out of the house when he was younger, it was strictly his parents. They would always force him to stay inside so that he could study or cook or clean, whatever needed to be done.

“What? Dude, everyone’s had sleepovers before!”

“I mean, not me, I guess. I’m sor-“

Ryuji stuttered, “N-no, man, don’t apologize. I shouldn’t have overreacted, I guess. I’m just so used to whatever I used to do and.. yeah.”

Akira nodded and smiled at the embarrassed state Ryuji was in. It was actually quite adorable when he made his “ _Oh-shit-I-made-a-mistake_ ” face, with his cheeks flushed and his eyes concentrated on the ground.

“You know what?” Ryuji asked after a while, looking at Akira excitedly. Akira cocked his head to the side, confused at the mischievous glint in his eyes.

“We should have a sleepover of our own!” Ryuji blurted out, flashing his huge smile at the raven-haired boy.

“I guess we can…” Akira replied, trying to sound as calm as possible, but his heart echoed in his chest at the idea. He couldn’t get it to stop beating hard, and feared that Ryuji would hear it from his rib cage. It continued to pound even after they parted ways with promises to text details later, but Akira got used to it.

 

  
**Bat Boy** : i was thinking your place for the sleepover, is that cool?

 **(Sh)akira** : Smooth, Sakamoto

 **Bat Boy** : i mean, yknow, Moms gonna be coming home from work late and i don’t wanna disturb her when she goes to sleep

 **(Sh)akira** : It’s okay, I was joking. I’m free tomorrow night, actually

 **Bat Boy** : perfect, is 5 cool?

 **(Sh)akira** : Yeah :)

Akira nervously wondered if the smiley face was too much, and realized he was never this nervous whenever he and Ryuji planned to meet up and hangout. He’s done this a thousand times already, so why was he getting excited at the mere thought of sleeping with Ryuji?

  
Well, not really sleeping with Ryuji like that, he was probably going to bring a…

 _Wait_.

What _did_ people bring to sleepovers to sleep on? Did they usually sleep in the same bed? Akira heard from Ann that people, usually girls, did, but he didn’t know what guys did… Would he have to sleep on the floor? Akira wouldn’t have minded sleeping in the same bed as Ryuji, but he guessed that Ryuji was straight as a pole and most likely lived by the “no homo” agenda.

Akira also had the old couch in the corner of his room, but was it rude to make a guest lay on the couch? A dusty, sagging couch? He was clueless when it came to these types of things, and he racked his brain for any information he might have gathered over the past 17 years of his life.

“You’re thinking an awful lot, Akira,” Morgana purred from his napping spot on the bed.

Morgana! He might know…

“Yeah, well, Ryuji’s coming over for a sleepover tomorrow and I don’t know a lot about sleepovers, Mona.”

Morgana looked thoughtful. “I’m not really sure what humans do either. Try asking Lady Ann, she might know,”

Akira nodded, grateful for Morgana’s thinking. He pulled out his phone and tapped on Ann’s contact before putting the phone to his ear. After 3 tones, her voice cheerfully rang from the other line. “Hey, Akira! What’s up?”

“Nothing much really, but I just have a question. What do you usually do at a sleepover? Sleeping arrangements and all that,” Akira asked, wedging his phone in between his head and shoulder while he went to get his pajamas.

“Who’re you having a sleepover with?” Ann asked excitedly, being her nosy self as usual.

“Ryuji,” Akira simply replied, feeling his mouth twitch into a smile.

“Aww, I bet you can’t wait!” Ann squealed. The sound was almost loud enough to make Akira drop the phone from between his face as he tried to pull his pajama pants on, but he felt himself relax with the familiarity of Ann’s happy voice anyways.

“Yeah, it’s just, er, I’ve never really been to a sleepover so…”

Ann was quiet on the line for a moment, but she finally gushed, “I’m gonna teach you _everything_ about sleepovers in the span of a half hour, and you’re gonna remember all of it.”

Akira smiled and nodded, even if Ann wouldn’t see it.

 

  
An hour later, Akira finally ended his call with Ann. She said it would only last a half hour, but she kept on remembering more points for him to add to his long list and continued to ramble on.

  
Akira ended up actually taking out a notepad and a pencil out at some point of her speech. He wanted to catch all of the information she was giving him, but it takes him a while to absorb anything said to him ( admittedly one of his worst downfalls).

  
It seemed to extend from one paper… to two… to three…?

  
Akira skimmed down the first page, and observed what Ann called the Three S’s.

“And this is the most important thing,” she began. “Is the Three S’s, with a capital S! First S- Snacks! If you don’t have snacks, they might as well go home, honestly. Second- Suggestions! Always have a mental list of suggestions of what to do in case you get bored. Truth or Dare is always fun… oh, and third! Well, it’s three and four? But whatever- three is secrets, and four is sex. They kinda go hand in hand, really-,”

“I-I thought you only said three?!” Akira’s face heated up at the fourth S.  
What the hell did people do at sleepovers?

  
“Well, yeah, but you talk about sex when you’re talking about secrets, right? Basic info, Akira, it happens at every sleepover. Also, this is strictly before you go to sleep and you’re both lying down. Otherwise it’s awkward,”

 _Awkward?_ Akira mentally scoffed. Where did Ann come up with these things?

Ann eventually ended the call, making Akira promise he would text her how it went. He was suddenly aware of his eyelids drooping like weights, and he drifted into sleep with the thought of Ann’s tips. Tomorrow would go perfectly…

_Fuck, she never really told me where Ryuji’s gonna be sleeping, huh?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and it begins...

“Fuck,” Akira mumbled, desperately pulling on a pair of sweatpants as he stumbled down the cafe stairs. He finished taking a shower a couple minutes ago, but Sojiro was already calling Akira down, telling him his friend was over. Shirt be damned, he practically ran down the stairs until he slowed down on the last one to seem like he actually had his shit together. The plan was to wake up, brush his teeth, relax for a couple of hours, get snacks out, and shower before Ryuji came. The thing was that he also ended up doing this an hour later then he planned, so he ended up running around the attic, flailing around while Morgana laughed at him from the bed.

Akira took the small towel draped across his shoulders and attempted to rub it over his hair to stop more drops of water trickling down his back, but he gave up; He finally stepped out into the cafe floor.   
Akira looked at Ryuji, questioning the wide eyes and slightly open mouth on his face until he remembered that he, in fact, was half naked and any customer who happened to look at the stairs could confirm this fact.

“H-hey,” Ryuji stammered, bringing his hand up to rub the back of his neck.

And he was wearing that goddamn tank top. Akira didn’t know if his face could feel any warmer.

Sojiro smirked and said something about leaving soon when Akira led them upstairs. When they made it, he snatched up a shirt and a sweater from the bed Morgana was napping next to and quickly pulled them on. Morgana purred and readjusted his position, continuing to sleep.

“Sorry, I just, er, t-took a shower,” Akira mumbled, turning around to face Ryuji. He stood there, still a little stunned, but eventually shook his head.

“I can tell,” Ryuji laughed. “Whaddaya wanna do?”

Akira and Ryuji hung out on Akira’s bed for a while, talking and eating the chips Akira prepared. Ryuji couldn’t keep still, and eventually got up and explored Akira’s room (much to Morgana’s dismay, who screeched when Ryuji almost pushed him off the bed).

“Woah, you got Anos Reputation?” Ryuji gasped while rummaging around Akira’s shelves. He pulled out the old video game from the small pile of others and admired the cover. “I’ve been tryna finding this for ages!”

“We can play, if you wanna,” Akira offered.

“Of course I fucking play! Is it cool with you?”

Akira nodded and laughed at Ryuji’s excitement. He inserted the game in the old console next to his small tv, and pulled out the controllers while Ryuji made himself comfortable on a pillow he threw on the floor and wrapped himself in Akira’s blanket. Akira threw him a controller and Ryuji admired it while Akira sat on another pillow he got from his bed, right next to the faux-blonde. The game started up and the old music began to play as they began from level one.

*~*

“OH, FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FU-“ Ryuji screamed, the buttons on the controller that was clutched in his hands being mashed like nobody was watching, the blanket that was on his shoulders long gone on the floor.

“I DON’T PLAY VIDEO GAMES YOU KNOW THA-“ Akira yelled, stressed. His glasses were sliding off his nose as he desperately scanned his controller, as if it could give him a tip on how to be better at video games.

“X! X! PRESS X I SWEAR TO GOD AKIRA IF YOU… OH MY GOD YOU PRESSED LEFT TRIGGER HOW DO YOU-“

“I DON’T DO THIS OFTEN YOU KNOW THAT-“

Ryuji quickly paused the game. Akira was hopeless, and the monster that attacked them was kicking his ass while Ryuji tried to use one of his powers to stop it from killing Akira yet again. Keyword: tried.   
Instead of shooting the monster, Akira managed to heal Ryuji somehow, but the problem was that he didn’t need to be fucking healed.   
Ryuji lay down, his back on the hard wooden floor while he stared at the ceiling. He didn’t know what to do about Akira’s terrible playing, but he got an idea and raised himself up with his hands. Akira was on the floor too, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.

“I just don’t get iiiiit,” Akira whined, until he pulled himself up like Ryuji did. Ryuji pushed himself up and shuffled behind Akira, dropping down to his knees. Akira stiffened, but Ryuji snaked his arms across Akira’s, who was still holding the controller in his hands. He placed his hands over Akira’s, and guided his fingers to the right buttons.

“Un-pause it, and I’ll show you how it’s done,” Ryuji smirked, but Akira could only focus on the hot breathe blowing on the back of his neck.

Akira did as he was told and he was thrown back in the midst of the battle with the monster, Ryuji’s character staying still with no one controlling it.

“Ah, FUCK!” Akira yelled, unintentionally pushing his back into Ryuji’s chest as he panicked.

“No, look dude just-“ Ryuji guided his finger to X and pressed it, which kicked the monster in the face a few times and took enough points off to kill it.

“X is to kick?” Akira asked in disbelief. Ryuji sighed.

“I’ve been saying that the whole game, Akira!”

“I thought you said the other one!”

They laughed, and Ryuji felt Akira’s body shake on his chest. He couldn’t help but remember what proximity they were in, and was glad Akira was turned around and couldn’t see the redness of his face.

“How do I use a power then?” Akira asked, his head cocked to the side in confusion. Ryuji didn’t know why he did it, but he thought it was adorable.

“Here…”

Ryuji led them to another monster and they ambushed him, getting the first move. He pressed a combination of buttons that made the powers list pop up, and Ryuji decided to use Akira’s strongest move. The problem with Akira being player 1 was that he had the best moves and strongest character, none of which he understood how to utilize. The one move blasted the monster into smoke, and they were finally able to continue with the storyline.

“You see? It’s easy,”

“I guess I kinda understand…”

Ryuji got back up and went back to his pillow, kind of regretting not having the warm on his chest. His tank top was thin, and he didn’t realize how much of the cool air of the attic went into his shirt and on his skin. The low neckline didn’t help either, with his collar bones out and exposed.

Akira noticed how Ryuji’s collar bones became more prominent when he got colder. Ryuji picked up the previously discarded blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders once again. Akira was a fucking furnace, and he didn’t understand how he didn’t feel cold at all.

Ryuji’s character finally started to move when he picked up the controller and began to play, and they continued to run around. Akira was somewhat better than before, but eventually, the two got bored when the story became repetitive. No wonder it was an old game…

Ryuji stretched and checked the time on his phone. It was only 7:52, but he found himself getting hungry again.

“Does Boss have any food downstairs, or is it just curry and coffee?” Ryuji wondered aloud, stretching his bicep behind his head. He felt air run up his shirt when it rode up his chest, and he rubbed his arms. He was always cold, and unless he was literally in a desert, he would always be freezing in some part of his body. Sweaters and hoodies felt chunky and restricting, so Ryuji ditched them and decided to take on the cold and deal with it.   
Akira had already taken off his sweater and was left feeling too hot in his thin t-shirt. The attic got stuffy quickly, even when it was just him and Mona hanging out on the bed, Mona sleeping of playing with the sheets and Akira reading.

“We have some biscuits and other stuff downstairs. And curry, obviously, but I’m not really in the mood for curry right now,”

Ryuji nodded and they headed downstairs into the cafe, the CLOSED sign on the door so that no one would come in, and Ryuji sat in one of the booths. As if on instinct, Akira pulled one of the aprons from the walls and tied it around his waist before while waiting for the machine to heat up. He went to one of the shelves that held most of the baked goods and called out to Ryuji, “What do you want? We got, uh, chocolate chip cookies, lemon cookies… oh, Sojiro stocked up on brownies!”

Ryuji was quiet for a second, but his reply was loud, “The brownies sound the best, dude!”

Akira nodded and picked out a few good looking brownies from the pan, putting it on a plate before bringing it to Ryuji, who was relaxed into the booth and patiently waited.   
Ryuji being patient was definitely something new… Akira decided to bring it up.

“You’re never this still, Ryuji, you okay?”

Ryuji punched him on the arm and laughed while Akira leaned on the table, waiting for the beep of the cocoa machine to ring from behind the counter. They were quiet for a few beats.

“How’s your mom doing?” Akira asked, attempting to find conversation.

“She’s good, just tired a lot. You know, you never really talk about your life…” Ryuji mumbled, but his eyes widened as if the last comment was a thought he didn’t mean to let out.

“I talk about my life all the time, Ryuji,” Akira argued, finally going behind the counter again to get the cocoa. Ryuji admired his quick hands, and how they seemed to know exactly what to do.

“Not about, y’know, your home life, or whatever.”

“... What’re you thinking about, Sakamoto?”   
It wasn’t that Akira was uncomfortable, but he was completely content with avoiding talk with his family. He sat down in the booth and gave Ryuji his mug, which he happily used to warm his hands.

“I dunno,” Ryuji shrugged. “Jus’ thinking about my mom and stuff.”

Akira looked thoughtful. “You really love your mom, huh?”

“I’d give her the world if I could, man. She’s been workin’ so hard and I can’t help but feel bad for not bein’ able to help out so much… What about your parents?”

Akira was surprised at Ryuji’s sudden boldness , but in hindsight he should have seen it coming when Ryuji wanted to know about his family.

“Well, my mom’s just… Mom, I guess. She tried to support my- uh, me, but she was always so busy with work. After the whole “arrested for assault” scene, she refused to look or talk to me before I left,” Akira sighed, the memories of his childhood flooding in. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her son, but Akira always suspected that something was different with his parents versus his friend’s parents. They would be proud of him for being smart or having a good head, but there was always something missing; Akira suspected it was regret.

They never wanted a kid, after all. Akira heard the arguments his mom and dad would have about him- what to do with him and what the next steps were. It was traumatizing, to say the least, as a child to question your own existence, but Akira grew older and he knew what he was: a mistake.

“Hey, Akira, you okay?”

He must have zoned out for a second, but he offered Ryuji a small smile and a nudge of his foot from under the table. “I’m okay, just started thinking and stuff,” he continued. “My dad was always gone, working in Europe for some business that always took him away from home. I was always glad he was gone though, because whenever he was home he’d make sure I didn’t soften up without him there, so I’d have to be extra careful,”

Ryuji’s eyes widened, “He didn't h-hit you or anythin’, did he?”

“Oh, no, not at all. Just the usual yelling or insulting. Never hitting.”

They sat in silence, taking small bites of the brownies and sipping their drinks. It wasn’t awkward, but they were too absorbed in whatever they were thinking to even think about making it awkward. The one thing Akira noticed though, was that their feet were still touching from when Akira nudged him. Before he could blush, Ryuji moved his foot and crossed his legs like a child, folding them up on his seat so that his knees barely peeked out from the table’s edge.

“We should do somethin’, like truth or dare!” Ryuji piped up.

“I don’t wanna movvvve,” Akira groaned, leaning back in the booth.

“We don’t gotta move, dude! Ugh, finnne. How about Never Have I Ever? We’ll put 10 fingers up instead of gettin’ alcohol or whatever.”

Akira seemed to like this idea, because his smirked and put his hands up next to his head, wiggling his fingers.

“You go first, I’m bad at these,” Akira suggested.

“Okay, fine. Never have I ever… slept without a blanket!”

Akira groaned, “Come on, you know I’m always warm! No fair!”

“And I’m always cold! I say it’s fair, so it is,”

Akira and Ryuji bickered until Akira sighed and put a finger down, and they went back and forth with the game, asking ridiculous questions to see if the other would put a finger down. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for the kudos and comments, it’s really what motivates me to edit and write more!! so keep it comin for more chapters!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y’all, sorry for the lateness of it but there have been some family problems that have arose and I haven’t had time to edit. Once again, thanks to anyone who decided to write a comment or give this story a kudos, because I was very nervous about this story!! But thank you!!!

Akira only had 3 fingers left after Ryuji yelled, “Never have I ever gone ice skating on a lake!”   
He didn’t know how Ryuji knew, but he smirked and wiggled his 6 fingers remaining.

“How? How do you know this? Okay, fine. Never have I ever gotten a haircut from an actual shop?”

Ryuji smirked, but didn’t put any fingers down. “I thought you never get haircuts, with the way it’s always falling over your eyes, Hot Topic,”

“How dare you-!”

“You totally look like me before I dyed my hair!”

“But that’s so mean!”

Ryuji chucked, “I know.”

“Fine,” Akira sighed. “Your turn.”

Ryuji looked deep in thought, wondering what would really get Akira pissed off. Akira could practically see the light bulb popping over the boys head.

“Oh, this one’s gotta get you mad! Never have I ever kissed someone,” Ryujilooked triumphant, crossing his arms and puffing his chest out. He wasn’t exactly ashamed of the fact, really, and it came in handy in situations like these.

Akira gasped, “You? Come on, pretty boy, you’re a supposed lady killer!”

Akira put his finger down slowly, showing off his peace sign as Ryuji crossed his arms in triumph. Of course Akira has kissed people in his old school, which was mainly the reason why he didn’t mind getting out of there too much. The captain of the boy’s basketball team never stopped looking at him weirdly after that one time…

Akira just couldn’t believe Ryuji hadn’t kissed anyone. He always talked about girls and dating them and other.. things, but he never bothered to mention that he never actually kissed them. Dates, maybe, but never kissing.

“It’s still hard to believe, y’know,”

“You’re saying that like you were too busy kissin’ people at your old school to do anythin’ else!” Ryuji argued.

“Hah, whatever…”

“So you’re saying you have?”

The question caught Akira off guard, and he looked up at Ryuji confusedly. The faux-blondes eyes were wide.

“Err…?”

Ryuji looked more curious then surprised now, but the answer was clear and shook his head.

“Maybe w-” he began.

“So, yeah I-”

They stopped their sentences, staring at each other expectantly.

“You can go first,” Akira offered.

“No, no, you can.”

“I was just thinking we can go to bed now. Y’know, lie down and talk instead,”

Ryuji nodded, a ghost of a smile on his face. “Sure.”

*~*

They both ran up the stairs, Ryuji yawning and Akira stretching with his arms over his head. He welcomed the little gust of cool air that ran up his shirt. It still felt like it was a million degrees in the cafe, especially upstairs.

Morgana greeted them, stretching on Akira’s bed. “I’m gonna be out for the night. Just wanna investigate something in the streets.”

“Okay, Mona. Just watch out, I’ve heard that there are people trying to catch animals to send them some place,” Akira nodded.

“I was there when Makoto told you that, y’know,”

Akira remembered, and stuttered, “Sorry.”

Morgana nodded and jumped out onto the roof outside through the window, letting a chilly gust in. Akira welcomed it, but Ryuji crossed his arms in attempt to get warmer.

“Y’know, I love going out on the roof to look at the stars n’ stuff,” Akira muttered, as if it was a thought that slipped his mind.

“That’s so cheesy, man.”

Akira punched him on the arm, but began to walk towards the open window anyway. He stuck his head out, probably checking to see if Morgana was gone yet, and then brought his head back in.

“Y’know, it’s not that bad outside,” he said cheerfully, and got on his tiptoes high enough to stick one leg out.

He started to hop and bring his other leg up to slide onto the roof before Ryuji blurted, “Dude!”

Akira looked ridiculous when he stopped, one leg still out the window and his head whipped around. His shirt rode up his torso as he held onto the top of the window, and his brows furrowed at Ryuji. “What?”

“Why are you goin’ out the fucking window?”

“I wanna look at the stars, obviously. Please?”

Ryuji couldn’t resist Akira’s begging grey eyes and sighed, nodding his heavy head and waiting for Akira to go all the way through. The window wasn’t small, but it wasn’t exactly the biggest window in the world. When he started to get out, he awkwardly stuck his foot through and tried to imitate how Akira went outside, failing to do so with grace but getting out nonetheless. Ryuji was finally able to crouch out onto the shingles of the roof, shivering. Akira’s back was to him, since he was already sitting down close to the edge while he pulled his knees up to his chest. Ryuji shuffled towards him slowly, balancing himself on the slightly slanted roof, and cautiously sat down next to Akira.

Ryuji looked out at the town of Yongenjaya. There were buildings that were the same height as Leblanc, and some that were taller and some that were shorter that were all squished together. They were all so close— close enough to jump from one roof to another, but that was an adventure for another day. The moon illuminated lines of clothes that were hung between some of the smaller buildings and shined on the worn red and brown shingles of the neighbors roofs. The night was slightly cold, sending chilly winds at the two boys; Ryuji crossed his arms and pulled his legs to his chest.

Akira tried to look at Ryuji sideways without being obvious, and he admired how Ryuji’s shirt hung on his torso. His collarbones pulled against his skin and the hollow over them became more prominent. Akira found himself wishing he could lick them and mark them his for a second, but he looked up so Ryuji wouldn’t see his reddening face.

“They are kinda pretty, actually,” Ryuji eventually mumbled, neck stretched up as he quickly scanned the sky.

“You’re getting soft, Sakamoto,” Akira laughed, and leaned back so that he was lying on the roof before he got a punch on the arm from the faux-blonde. Ryuji did the same, trying to inch a tiny bit closer to Akira to get some of his body heat (He had too much of it, honestly).

“You’re the one who brought me here in the first place, dude,” Ryuji joked.

He looked up again and observed closer; The sky really was full of stars, all of which twinkled against the abyss that was the night. Ryuji glanced at Akira; His ebony hair was also filled with stars that glistened against the moon, his mouth quirked into a soft smile as he stared up fondly, and Ryuji felt his heart skip a beat.   
Ryuji changed his mind and awkwardly got back up, wondering if he looked stupid doing so while wrapping his arms around his knees’ The roof was a tad bit colder than what he wanted to lie on, and he wasn’t trying to get sick.

A beat.

“What was your old school like, Akira?” Ryuji questioned. He was always so curious about the boy he called his best friend, but he realized how little he knew about his past. He might as well ask it all now, when he still had the chance.

Akira pushed himself on his elbows, but he didn’t get up all the way. “I dunno, I guess. Boring. I wouldn’t really know, I was too busy kissing people, as you like to word it.”

“... What’s it like then? Kissin’ people, ‘n all?” The question burned through Ryuji, but he never knew who else to ask and when to do it. It was now or never, in his mind.

Akira felt himself flush, trying to recall the feeling he got last time he kissed someone, “It’s, uh, nice, I guess. I mean, I know it is but… you get what I mean. You get these butterflies in your stomach that make it feel… fluttery? Yeah, fluttery is the word. It sounds stupid, I know,” Akira mumbled. He was rambling, like he always did when he was nervous, but what he described was true. He wondered what kissing Ryuji would be like…

Akira shook his head, as if trying to shake the thought out of his hair.

“It’s not stupid, I guess. I get it,” Ryuji mumbled, and the two boys sat in silence.

Akira eventually pushed himself up to be in level with the faux-blonde, who was looking at him confusedly.

He looked at Ryuji, and then glanced at his lips, unconsciously leaning slightly toward him. Ryuji leaned forward a small bit as well, his heart racing and his hands somehow warmer and more clammy than before. Akira just seemed to notice how Ryuji’s lips were wet from licking them and how his bottom lip was red from how many times he’d bite it when it was nervous. Tiny goosebumps sprang up around his collarbones and shoulders, and Akira had to resist the urge to warm him up.   
He also never had time to look at Ryuji’s face so closely before, but very light, almost transparent freckles were sprinkled over his cheeks. He always saw Ryuji as rough all over: to his chapped hips and rough personality, but now he saw him the softest he’s ever been. Akira watched the face under the freckles grow red as Ryuji’s eyes darted from Akira’s eyes to his lips, and their faces were only a centimeter apart now.

Ryuji swore his heartbeat could have been heard booming in his rib cage when he whispered, “I’ve never… you know..”   
He nearly slapped himself in the face right that moment. He’s already told Akira that he’s never kissed someone, but his nerves had the best of him. Why was he such an idiot..? The corner of Akira’s lip twitched up.

“I know that,” he lightly chuckled.

But then Akira’s face came closer to Ryuji’s and he hesitated for a moment before fully leaning in. Ryuji’s chapped lips lay lightly on Akira’s smooth ones, and his mind was at a blank for a moment; Then he realized: He was kissing Akira. He was kissing Akira!

Ryuji reluctantly pulled back, and it took him a moment to open his eyes again. He didn’t know when he closed them, but he said “I think I know what that fluttery feeling is now,”

Akira smiled and leaned in, kissing Ryuji under the stars again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It happened!! Please give constructive criticism for my writing because I’m young and am trying to improve my writing style and vocabulary, so *constructive* comments only. (Well, any feedback is nice, actually, so do that too!!)!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo yo yo double update just because some of y’all are so nice

The cold clung to Ryugi’s whole body as he ran from the bathroom towards Akira’s bed. Tiles on floors were his worst nightmare, and frankly, they did no good for anyone. Akira insisted that it was the fact that his pajamas only consisted of his boxers and thin shorts that made him so cold at night (and in general, sometimes), but in Ryuji’s defense, he usually sleeps under a thick motherfucking blanket in his own bed, in his 70-something degree apartment.

Akira lifted up the green blanket and let Ryuji slip in next to him before releasing it over their bodies. Ryuji made to turn to his side, but he brushed his arm with Akira’s.

“Dude you’re fucking freezing, what the hell?” Akira yelped, and he would have jumped away if it hadn’t been for the size of the bed forcing them together. He barely avoided Ryugi’s feet, but he could imagine what they were like.

“I’m always cold, we went over this how many times already-?”

“Just get over here, ‘Yuji,”

Akira moved closer to Ryuji’s back and wrapped his arms around his torso, their bodies against each other. Ryuji immediately felt the comforting heat of Akira’s body and relaxed into his embrace, the dark-haired boy’s chest rising and falling on his back.

“What’re we gonna tell the team, Hot Topic?” Ryuji whispered, even if there was nothing to disturb. It felt like a quiet moment between the two, one that talking normally would ruin.

Akira playfully slapped him on the arm for the nickname before replying, “I dunno, actually. Do you wanna tell them that we’re dating right away? Or should we wait?”

Akira’s breath tickled the back of Ryuji’s neck and he shivered, even if he was perfectly warm.

“I mean. It’s been a good 2 hours since we, uh, you know… Maybe we should have some time to ourselves? Before Futaba ruins it, anyway,”

Akira laughed; Futaba would probably make them into a meme or something.

“Whatever’s good with you, blondie. Good night,” Akira teased, his soft laugh lighting up Ryugi’s heart.

“Good night yourself, Kurusu.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since this was a very short chapter I MIGHT triple-update but idk~


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A triple update because I really wanna get this out, but I don’t wanna post it all at once haha

“And then he just ran over to the bed and they started to spoon an-“

“They spooned? Oh my god, I’m gonna-“

“Wait, wait, wait! Then they started wondering if they should tell us that they were dating or whatever, but Ryuji said they should have some time on their own before Futaba ruins it and-“

“True, Futaba would probably ruin it!”

“And then they went to sleep like that!”

Ann and Morgana were talking over breakfast at Ann’s house, Ann squealing and Morgana pacing excitedly on the table. He decided to stay on the side of the roof and balance on top of a garbage can to spy on Ryuji and Akira (on Lady Ann’s orders) through the window, and even though he felt slightly guilty about it, Lady Ann was ecstatic with the news.

“Oh, they kissed under the stars, Mona! That’s so romantic!” Ann sighed with content and continued to eat her pancakes. She had only meant to have Morgana see if anything interesting happened at first, and then leave and come over to sleep at her place, but this was more than what she bargained for. Morgana ended up coming when Ann was already asleep, but she left a window open for him so that he would be able to come it. Needless to say, when she walked into her living room at 8am, she almost screamed at the sight of Morgana sleeping on her couch until she remembered why he was there.

“Should we tell the rest of the team?” Morgana finally wondered aloud, who stopped pacing and sat on the wooden kitchen table. He snatched up a piece of bacon on Ann’s plate with his paw and chewed on it thoughtfully.

  
“I’d say we let them keep their little thing a secret til’ they’re ready to come out. We were the ones spying anyway. Just don’t mention it, Mona.”

“I won’t!” He replied, and they continued to talk over breakfast (though most of it were theories about the newly formed relationship in the team, of course).

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So two people know now... wHaT wIlL hApPeN nExT ???? Comments are always hecking appreciated so break the comment section y’all (as you can tell, the amount of sleep I need depends on how many times i say “y’all” and how many !!!!! Or ????? I use)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is about 2-3 months after akira and ryuji get together ^u^

Makoto and Haru were a _tad bit_ early. And by a _tad bit_ , they were in fact a half-hour early to the hangout session Akira decided to hold in his room at the cafe. They were already passing through the area and decided that coming a bit earlier wouldn’t be a problem— besides, leaving to do something and coming back at 5 like they were supposed to would be useless anyway.

It was Makoto who started up the stairs to Akira’s room to say hello first, Haru on her tail as they silently went up. Haru was just about to call out a friendly greeting before Makoto’s grip on her hand tightened and her jaw went slack.

“What’s wrong?” Haru whispered worriedly, but Makoto silently waved her hand, indicating for Haru to step up to Makoto’s level and peek her head over the floor.

The room looked completely fine, except for the fact that on the bed, Ryuji’s back was to them as he sat on what seemed to be Akira’s lap, his legs bent on either side of the dark haired boy. Their faces weren’t visible, but Haru had a feeling she knew by the quiet sounds of lips smacking and Ryuji’s equally as quiet moans.

“Shouldn’t we be gettin’ ready?” Ryuji asked after pulling away from Akira’s face. His back was slightly slumped but his arms were still loose around his shoulders.

“We have a half-hour til’ they come. I think that’s plenty of time to-“

Before Akira could finish his sentence, Ryuji quickly nodded and roughly placed his lips back on Akira’s, the force of it pushing Akira back so that he was laying on the bed and Ryuji was on top of him, pinning his wrists down on the bed with his hands.

Makoto almost ran down the stairs, quiet as to not to make her and Haru’s presence known to the two Phantom Thieves. The two threw themselves in one of the booths as they tried to catch their breath, spinning recent events in their minds.

“Oh my god, Akira and Ryuji are dating!” Makoto whisper yelled to the fluffy haired girl across from her. Haru’s eyes were the size of the moon and matched Makoto’s, whose mouth was hanging open.

“What do we do? Should we tell someone..?”

“No, I think that would be disrespecting their privacy. But Akira and Ryuji? I never would’ve guessed…”

“Really? I thought they were quite obvious,” Haru said. “Although I always thought they just had crushes on each other…”

Makoto put on her thinking face, and Haru did the same. They’d just have to wait until Ryuji and Akira were ready to tell the team of their relationship then.

And needless to say, they both felt extremely uncomfortable to be found silently sitting in one of the booths of the cafe when Akira came down a half hour later.

“Oh, you guys are already here,” he said. “Ryuji came a bit early, so he’s waiting upstairs. Come on!”

Makoto and Haru followed Akira upstairs, sharing looks when they noticed that Akira’s shirt was on backwards.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i found this chapter really funny to write ^.^ anything y’all say is appreciated as fuck so continue sendin some love


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is about a month after Makoto and Haru find out ( ͡° ͜ ͡°)

Futaba was bored. Well— she was always bored, but today was worse than usual. All of her gaming buddies were offline for some American holiday that just  _ had _ to be celebrated early in the morning, so they weren’t able to get online and play some video games. It was only midnight in Japan, but that made it 11 o’clock in New York; It was a Sunday in Japan, but that made it a Saturday in America, and her friends were usually up on Saturdays. 

The worst part was that Futaba didn’t know what to do when she was bored. She was cooped up in her room, and everyone she tried to text was already asleep. 

She got on her computer with the thought of finding some cheesy dress up games to pass the time, but her security cam files from Leblanc were open from the last time she checked them. A little red dot flashed in the corner, telling her there was activity inside, and Futaba thought she might as well check to make sure everything was okay. 

She expected to see Akira, actually, who was sitting on one of the chairs at a counter, sipping on what seemed like coffee from a mug. Why would he even be drinking coffee, it’s  _ midnight _ . Dumbass. 

But it was the person sitting next to Akira that caught Futaba’s eye. Ryuji laughed at something Akira said, and took a sip from whatever was in a mug identical to Akira’s. 

“Are you sure you’re feeling better now? Just stay over and borrow my clothes for tomorrow, no one will notice,” Akira placed a hand on Ryuji’s. Why was he so affectionate, and why would they have to hide the fact they had a sleepover? Futaba had to check Ryuji’s clothes tomorrow when they were hanging out to see if they resembled something Akira owned. 

“Yeah, I’m much better. But I dunno, I feel like Makoto’s a little suspicious of us. I mean, she smiled weird at me when I went to go help you with something in the back room a week ago.”

“Yeah, but it’s Makoto. It’s like her job to investigate shit,” Akira replied with a smile, his thumb rubbing circles over Ryuji’s palm. 

“God, you know I can’t resist that smile. I’ll text my mom tellin’ her you were having a real rough night and  _ desperately _ needed me,” Ryuji smirked smugly. 

“But you were the one who had the nightmare!” Akira argued. 

“Yeah, but my mom’ll get worried about me. She’ll understand, man.” 

Akira chuckled and leaned towards Ryuji. 

_ What is he doing _ ? Futaba thought to herself, eyes curiously trained on the screen. 

Akira began to kiss Ryuji softly, but as soon as Ryuji dropped his phone on the counter, his fingers tangled through Akira’s hair as he tried to get as close as possible to the teen without falling off his chair. Akira tried to scooch his chair as close as he could to Ryuji’s as his hands explored the faux-blonde’s body; They found their way under Ryuji’s shirt as he roamed his torso. Their kiss became more heated, but Ryuji desperately whined when Akira broke it off and trailed his lips over his neck, licking and sucking over the tender flesh. Ryuji gave a louder moan and tightened his grip on Akira’s hair as he continued down, giving the most attention to his collarbones- big purple hickeys lined down the bone and Akira licked them, both the boys were in heaven. 

Futaba immediately turned off her monitor when Ryuji let out another loud moan, swirling around in her chair as she thought. Her face was beet red at what she just saw, and at what she  _ could’ve _ seen. 

She stumbled out of her chair and decided that that was enough computer for a day. She went over to her bed and snuggled under the covers. 

_ Akira and Ryuji, huh? I’m not as surprised as I thought I would be, I guess. God, I just  _ had _ to see it like  _ that _ \- bleh. I’ll get them back for it, though… Oh god what if they don’t clean up after themselves and Sojiro finds out  _ oh my fucking god. 

Futaba fell asleep at the possible scenarios that were to ensue the next morning with Sojiro, some making her almost laugh out loud and some leaving her wishing she never had the thought in the first place. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all are really so nice wowow


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a little late, and a little short ( ;( ), but don’t hate me!! I’ll be uploading the last chapter in a half hour, so watch out for that too ;P

Ryuji stomped up the stairs to Akira’s room, Akira barely keeping up with the (former) athlete.

They just made it back from going out to dinner with Makoto, who was finally able to go out, and Haru, who wanted to tag along and take a break from dealing with business for a while. They went out to the diner to eat, which went as great as it usually did whenever anyone from the team was hanging out. When they finished, they also decided to walk through the city and into a nearby park, which was tiny, but held benches that they could sit on before they had to eventually part.

“You look so scared! Are you scared of me?” Ryuji asked harshly when the two made it up to the stairs. He whipped around and pointed a long finger at Akira, who was rubbing the bridge of his nose with his forefinger and thumb. Ryuji was, of course, referencing how whenever someone gave them a slight glance in public, his hand would fly back into his pocket instead of his pinky being hooked with Ryuji’s. It was an easy tactic for no one to notice them because it could barely be seen if their hands right in between the sides of their thighs, but Akira always took the extra precaution of pulling away.

“I just want to be safe-“ Akira started.

“Are you… Are you ashamed of me?” Ryuji’s voice wavered, and Akira looked up to see his face. It was an ugly red and blotchy, something that only happened when he was getting emotional, and his eyes were glassy.

“N-no, don’t cry, b-”

“I-I can’t help but feel like you wanna get rid of me sometimes.You pull away from me like I’m on fire or somethin’, And I know I’m a fuck-up an’ some outcast or whatever, b-but it just sucks sometimes and.... yeah,” Ryuji stumbled over his words, and it was hard for the words in his head to flow out of his mouth. He couldn’t help but have all his thoughts ordered up in his mind, but when it came time to voice them, they got out of order and jumbled together.

“You’re not a fuck-up, or a criminal, or any of that bullshit people make up just because, ‘Yuji. I’m just… I’m just terrified.” Akira sighed. He hated knowing that Ryuji felt like he was a fuck-up because of what people said about him at school and in public, but he didn’t know how to express the fact that he was, in fact, perfect.

“I knew it, you-“

“I’m terrified of what people think, ‘Yuji,” Akira interrupted. “I mean, what if someone tries to hurt us? What if they wanna hurt you? You know what people are like whenever Makoto and Haru are a little too close in public, and even in school people aren’t too accepting. I don’t want someone to pull us apart,”

“We won’t let them,” Ryuji growled in protest. He knew that was Akira was saying made sense, considering the way some of the students acted towards anything that was even slightly gay, which was unfortunate, but he didn’t want to just accept it. “I just feel so alone sometimes. We have the whole fuckin’ team, and we’re the only ones who know about us? Is it worth having to be ‘extra careful’ when we could just be open and together? And not have to worry about lookin’ at each other for too long, or makin’ out in the back room when we’re all together, and-“

“We don’t know how people are gonna react, babe, and I don’t wanna-“ Akira started heatedly, but Ryuji had a lot to say and didn’t take too kindly to his train of thought being stopped.

“Why are you so scared? You’re you, for fucks sake, and-“

Akira wasn’t having any of it. “Because I love you, okay? I love you and I don’t wanna lose you because someone in school made it dangerous, and I know it probably doesn’t make sense, and that it might not even happen, but I just wanna be safe rather than sorry. Okay? Is that allowed?”

Ryuji was finally silent, but his mouth opened and closed like he wanted to say something.

“Y-you love me?” Ryuji’s voice broke when he whispered the question.

“Of course I do, ‘Yuji, and I-“

Instead of Akira being broken off by another retort from Ryuji, his was instead interrupted by Ryuji lunging at him and sloppily kissing him. Akira was surprised and stood still for a second, but quickly reciprocated when Ryuji’s fingers tugged on his unruly black hair.

Ryuji then pulled away, his eyes glossy but his quivering mouth smiling. “I love you too,” he mumbled.

It was Akira’s turn to be quiet, but his mouth grew into a wide smile. “We can talk more later, but now…” he trailed off and glanced at Ryuji’s slightly-swollen lips.

Ryuji caught Akira’s lips in another heated kiss, and needless to say, their earlier argument was soon forgotten. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for all of yall’s comments a girls gotta appreciate it


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the end...

“Oh god, what if they’re pissed we didn’t tell them earlier?” Akira ranted.   
He was pacing the attic floor nervously as Ryuji was slumped on his bed. They decided that Futaba’s “party” at the cafe was going to be the day they were going to come out to the team. Akira and Ryuji talked for a long time about what they wanted to do, and Ryuji was able to assure Akira a million times that they could tackle whatever was thrown at them. Akira was still weary, so they decided to start with baby steps by telling the team, and they decided that Futaba’s “party” at the cafe was going to be that day. Besides, Makoto was finally free that day, and Ann didn’t have a modeling gig to go to, so it was the first time that they could all get together in a while.

“They’re not gonna care, babe, they’re gonna be hap-”

“But what if?”

Ryuji got up and began to walk over to Akira. The worn attic floor creaked under Ryuji’s heavy boots, but they were quiet enough to not be heard over the rain that pounded on the roof. Ryuji stopped his boyfriend by grabbing his wrists and making him turn to face him.  
  
“I promise,” Ryuji said sternly, but gently kissed placed a soft kiss on Akira’s lips anyway. This calmed Akira down considerably as he reciprocated, but before the intimate moment became heated, Ryuji reluctantly pulled away. “The bell just rang downstairs, y’know. Don’t wanna be caught.”

Akira took a deep breath and nodded. Ryuji grabbed his hand one last time and gave it a tight squeeze before he started to walk away. He felt Akira walking behind him, distancing himself so that they wouldn’t seem suspicious.

It was Yusuke who came first, despite it being “Futaba’s” hangout. His raincoat was dripping water on the floor, and his umbrella unleashed water on the welcome mat of the cafe.

“I seem to have, ah, dripped water everywhere. My apologies,” he greeted, but Akira shook his head and smiled. Yusuke hung his coat on the coat hanger and went to sit closest to the wall in one of the booths. The three continued to make small talk, waiting for the others to arrive.

The rain and the added fact that it was Sunday didn’t leave a lot of people in Leblanc. Only Ryuji, Yusuke, Akira, and Sojiro (who was in the back room) were there, but soon, Futaba and Ann burst in.

“The day we could all be together just had to be on a rainy day?” Ann groaned, taking off her hoodie and wringing it out on the mat. “I didn’t know it was gonna rain, or else I would’ve brought an actual raincoat! Ugh.”

Futaba was fumbling with her jacket zipper, her hands too shaky from the cold. Ann helped her with taking off the soaking garment, and they approached the three boys in the booth.

“Hey guys!” Futaba chuckled, taking a moment to twist her hair to get all the extra bits of water off of it before sliding into the other side of the booth. Ann slid in too, which pushed Futaba to the wall. Ryuji and Akira were still standing, Akira leaning on a bar stool he turned around and Ryuji relaxing on the side of the booth.

The bell above the cafe door chimed rather loudly when Makoto and Haru rushed in, both red in the face and sopping wet. The two were the most unusual sight together. Makoto must have rode them both on her motorcycle, because their hair was swept back while dripping water at the same time, and Makoto had her I-just-rode-my-motorcycle-and-I’m-kinda-mad-so-don’t-fuck-with-me face on. She had a lot of faces, apparently.

“Rain? Rain! The one day I decide to ride my bike on the weekend and this is what happens…” Makoto grumbled, but she composed herself when she walked over to the group.

Haru was disappointedly staring at her jacket, the previous fluff it held being replaced by a sopping mess. She hung it up and eventually sighed, sitting next to Makoto, who slid in next to Yusuke.

The conversation started easily, as it always did when everyone was together. Sojiro brought them all cups of coffee at varying sweetness, knowing their orders so well since they always decided to come for visits.

In the middle of the conversation, Futaba was wheezing (once again) at a meme Ann showed her on her phone, and even Makoto was holding back a laugh at the ridiculous man that was in a bath full of ramen on the screen.

Akira stepped closer to Ryuji, feigning interest in the video, but Ryuji knew what he was trying to do. When the video ended and everyone was sipping their drinks for a moment, Ryuji cleared his throat.

“Erm, we- Akira and I- just wanted to, uh, say somethin’ real quick…”

“What is it?” Asked Makoto, casting a sly glance towards Haru. Ryuji, thankfully didn’t catch it, but Ann did and smirked.

“W-we don’t want this to, er, change what you think of us-“ Akira started.

“Yeah, we j-just wanna say that-“ Ryuji rambled.

“We’re dating. As in, uh, Ryuji and I,” Akira finished, waiting for everyone’s response while hooking his pinky around Ryuji’s behind their backs.

“Congratulations!” Yusuke gushed, pleasantly smiling. Everyone else, though, stared at the table.

“Are you guys… mad?” Akira asked quietly, glancing worriedly at the bowed heads.

“N-no, not at all!” Makoto stuttered. “It’s just that… Haru and I already knew…”

Akira’s eyes widened as he almost choked on the air, “You guys knew?!”

Ann piped up, “Mona and I kinda knew too…”

“Same here!” Futaba said, crossing her arms as she leaned back.

“How?” Ryugi gasped.

“Uh… We’ll tell you later,” Makoto laughed.

Akira and Ryuji looked at each other, and then at the rest of the team, before everyone started laughing. Yusuke, however, looked utterly confused.

“How come you didn’t inform me of this?” he questioned everyone, and Ann laughed.

“Well, Mona and I knew ages ago, at that sleep over thing you guys got together at. Besides, we thought we’d let you guys do it. Took you long enough anyway.

Yusuke began to sputter, but Ryuji interrupted him, “You knew for 6 fuckin’ months?”

“Language, Sakamoto!”

“Did you know about this too, Boss?” Ryuji asked as the older man dropped his rag on the counter and joined in the conversation.

“Well, I had my suspicions, and you guys aren’t exactly quiet sometimes…” he answered with a smirk.

Ryuji and Akira grew beet red as Sojiro and the rest of team laughed at them. Ryuji attempted to babble out an excuse or joke or something, but even Akira was chuckling at this point. Ryuji couldn’t help but look over at his laughing face and smile. Now it was only them against the world…

He laced their fingers together, and just because he finally could, kissed him soundly on the lips. Cheers erupted from Ann and Haru while Futaba fake-gagged and laughed.

Ryuji pulled away, the same fluttery feeling never quite going away whenever he touched Akira, and he admired the stars that twinkled in his eyes like they did on the roof. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to anyone and everyone who left a comment and kudos on this, because it really motivated me to write more since i lose motivation easily. I’ll be uploading more akira/ryuji fics, and definitely some of my other stories!! i’m Glad people liked this, and look out for more y’all


End file.
